China and Saudi Arabia have agreed to recognise each other's seafarer certificates. The two governments signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 20 October 2026 in Shanghai. An MoU is a written agreement between two governments on how they will work together.
China's Ministry of Transport signed for China. The Transport General Authority signed for Saudi Arabia. The signing took place at the opening of the 2026 North Bund International Shipping Forum, the Chinese business news group Yicai reported.
What we know
The forum ran in Shanghai on 20 and 21 October. At the opening, the Chinese government presented eight results. One of them was the MoU with Saudi Arabia on certificates, the Chinese newspaper Securities Times reported.
At the same ceremony, China's Ministry of Transport also signed an MoU with the IMO on building maritime skills and capacity, Yicai Global reported. It also signed a letter of intent with France on a green shipping corridor.
The reports do not say which certificates the agreement covers. They also do not say when it starts. Crewboard has not found the text of the MoU. We will add the details when the governments publish them.
Why it matters
Under the STCW Convention, an officer who wants to work on a ship of another flag usually needs an extra document from that flag state. It is called an endorsement attesting recognition. The flag state gives it only if it accepts the certificates of the country that issued them. Agreements like this MoU are often the first step.
China already has such agreements with other countries. China's Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) keeps a list on its website, last updated on 16 April 2025. It names 11 countries with a mutual recognition agreement. They include the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Saudi Arabia was not on that list.
The MSA also lists 19 flag states that recognise Chinese certificates of competency. They include Panama, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Malta, Greece and Norway.
Chinese electronic certificates
Since 1 February 2026, the Chinese authorities no longer issue paper certificates automatically for seafarers on international voyages. Seafarers get electronic certificates instead. Paper copies are still possible on request. The electronic certificates have the same legal force as paper ones, the MSA says.
This covers certificates of competency and proficiency, endorsements, medical certificates and cook training certificates. Seafarers can download them in the HaiShiTong app. Port State control officers and shipowners can check them with the QR code on the certificate or on the MSA verification page. Port State control is the inspection of foreign ships in a country's ports.
At the same forum, on 21 October, the MSA presented the use of seafarer electronic certificates both in China and abroad as one of its results, China Water Transport reported.
What it means for crews
Nothing changes yet. The MoU is signed, but the rules and the start date are not public.
If you hold a Chinese certificate and want to work on a Saudi-flagged ship, or the other way round, ask your crewing company or the flag state about the endorsement. Do not pay anyone who promises a fast endorsement outside the official process.
Chinese seafarers can show the MSA notice on electronic certificates if a foreign inspector or shipowner asks about them. The MSA says this in the notice.
You can check which countries accept Chinese certificates on the MSA list of recognition.
Cover photo: The Huangpu River in Shanghai, seen from a riverside park in Yangpu district, north of the Bund, October 2018. Photo: Nix Sunyata/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: Yicai: China and Saudi Arabia sign agreement to recognise seafarer certificates (20 Oct 2026, in Chinese), Yicai Global: News flash on MoUs signed at the North Bund Forum (20 Oct 2026), Securities Times via ifeng: More than 90 results released at the 2026 North Bund International Shipping Forum (21 Oct 2026, in Chinese), China Water Transport via Sina: Maritime traffic safety forum, China MSA results (22 Oct 2026, in Chinese), China MSA: Lists of Recognition (updated 16 Apr 2025), China MSA: Notice on the overseas use of electronic certificates for seafarers (20 Jan 2026).
